South San Francisco, CA, November 9, 2023 – Submitted by Karl Sonkin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KAISER PERMANENTE SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO HOSPITAL RECOGNIZED WITH “A” GRADE FOR PATIENT SAFETY
Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco hospital received an “A” for limiting patient injuries, reducing medical errors, and preventing infections, according to the Leapfrog Group
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Nov. 7, 2023 – Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco hospital earned a top score of “A” for keeping patients safe in The Leapfrog Group’s biannual Hospital Safety Grades report. After reviewing hospital clinical performance, Leapfrog assigns hospitals grades based on approximately two dozen measures that analyze patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco has received an “A” grade since 2013, which is when the Leapfrog Group first began providing hospital safety grades. “Our physicians, nurses and staff work diligently to ensure that our patients receive personalized, coordinated, and safe health care,” said Sheila Gilson, senior vice president and area manager for the Kaiser Permanente San Mateo Area, which includes our South San
Francisco hospital. “We are very proud to have received The Leapfrog Group’s Top Hospital award since 2010. We are having a positive and often life-changing impact on the health and well-being of our members and the communities we serve.”
This fall, 13 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California received “A” scores from Leapfrog including: Antioch, Modesto, Oakland, Richmond, Roseville, San Francisco, San Leandro, San Rafael, Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, South San Francisco, Vallejo, and Walnut Creek. “We put our patients at the center of our decision making,” said John Skerry, MD, physician-in-chief at the Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco hospital. “To provide superior medical treatment in the 21st century, you need the best physicians, the most advanced technology and excellence across all disciplines: primary care, specialty care, and outpatient and inpatient care. We have all of this – and more — at our South San Francisco hospital.”
The Leapfrog Group assigns letter grades to nearly 3,000 hospitals throughout the United States. The grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring. More than 60% of Kaiser Permanente Northern California hospitals received an “A” grade. In California overall, only about 30% of the state’s hospitals earned the top “A” grade. The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, released its Hospital Safety Grades after examining publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections at U.S. hospitals. The report includes data collected by national health care organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Scores are calculated based on more than two dozen publicly available measures, and hospitals are then assigned A, B, C, D or F grades for their safety records. The grades are released as a free resource to help patients and their families make informed health care
decisions. Kaiser Permanente is one of America’s leading integrated health care providers and serves more than 12.7 million members. Nationally, 26 of 39 Kaiser Permanente hospitals, nearly 67% percent, received a Leapfrog Safety “A” grade. In contrast, less than 30% of the nation’s hospitals received an “A” rating.
For more information and a complete list of the hospital safety grades, visit Leapfrog.
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About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of
America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser
Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the
health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.6 million members in 8
states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and
guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our
expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology
advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-
class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical
research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to
about.kp.org